Retailers routinely display articles of merchandise, such as portable computers (e.g. notebooks, laptops, tablets, etc.), e-readers, media players, and the like for customers to evaluate before making a purchase. These articles of merchandise are continually being made smaller and lighter in weight due to advances in technology and materials. As a result, such merchandise is increasingly vulnerable and susceptible to theft. At the same time, the retail price and profit margin for such merchandise continues to decline. Accordingly, these articles of merchandise need to be secured by a security device that effectively and cost efficiently protects the merchandise from theft.
Merchandise display security devices for displaying and protecting articles of merchandise attached to a mechanical tether are known. However, the known devices are not configured to be removed quickly and easily without causing damage to the article of merchandise and without leaving an adhesive residue on the merchandise that requires subsequent cleaning.
Known merchandise display security devices include a security tether consisting of a vinyl covered steel cable that is configured to attach at one end to an opening, recess or slot provided on a laptop computer. The other end of the tether is looped around a secure fixture, such as a bar, post, table leg or the like, or alternatively, is anchored, for example by a mechanical fastener, to a tabletop, counter, shelf or other display surface used in retail sales. It is also known to secure the other end of the tether to a mounting base that is in turn attached to the tabletop, counter, shelf or other display surface by means of a relatively strong adhesive.
A particular merchandise display security device configured to protect portable computers and like articles of merchandise is available from InVue Security Products Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., USA, and commercially known as the LTO Series 940 alarming module. The LTO Series 940 alarming module includes a tether having an anchor at one end and an alarm module at the other end. The anchor is configured to be quickly and easily anchored to a display surface, such as a tabletop, counter, shelf or the like used to conveniently display the portable article of merchandise for retail sales. The alarm module is configured to be quickly and easily attached to a relatively flat surface on the article of merchandise, for example to the rear surface of the display screen or video monitor of a laptop computer. The tether further includes a sense loop so that the alarm module will activate an alarm if the tether is cut, severed or decoupled from the anchor or the alarm module. The alarm module also activates the alarm if the anchor is removed from the display surface, or alternatively, if the alarm module is detached from the article of merchandise. The alarm module is typically attached to the article of merchandise by means of a relatively high-strength adhesive, for example a double-sided pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), so that the alarm module remains attached to the article of merchandise during an attempted theft and continues to alert store personnel to the location of the merchandise. As a result, it is nearly impossible to remove the alarm module from the article of merchandise without damaging the merchandise and without rendering the merchandise unsuitable for sale as a result of the adhesive residue that remains on the article when the alarm module is detached from the merchandise.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved merchandise display security device for protecting an article of merchandise from theft. There exists a further and more specific need for a merchandise display security tether including a releasable adhesive for attaching the tether to an article of merchandise. There exists another further and more specific need for a merchandise display security tether including a housing and at least one releasable adhesive strip, wherein the housing is configured to prevent access to a mounting base that is securely attached to the article of merchandise by means of the releasable adhesive strip. There exists yet another further and more specific need for a releasable adhesive that permits a merchandise display security tether to be quickly and easily removed from an article of merchandise without causing damage to the merchandise and without leaving an adhesive residue on the merchandise that requires subsequent cleaning.